'12 Years a Slave' Mannequin Stirs Up Controversy at UK Grocery Store (PHOTO)

A U.K. store landed itself in hot water recently after it promoted the DVD and Blu-ray release of "12 Years a Slave" with a mannequin mimicking protagonist Solomon Northup.

The Independent reports that numerous shoppers snapped pics of the odd display at a Sainsbury's in Oxford, England, which featured a large poster, bright stickers with the movie's price -- and for some unknown reason, a mannequin dressed in a torn shirt and pants meant to resemble the clothes Northup wears for most of the Oscar-winning film. A twig was also sticking out of a pants pocket.

Shoppers were offended by the odd, inappropriate sight (stickers on the mannequin seemed to suggest that clothes were for sale, too), and quickly complained to management, which has since removed the display and issued a mea culpa to customers.

"We can only apologise," Sainsbury's said in a statement. "It's been taken down from the Heyford Hill store and clearly should never have gone up in the first place."